Help for Tacoma Streets?

Everyone who lives in Tacoma knows that our City has been too strapped in recent years to do a good job maintaining our streets. Now, the Tacoma City Council has a proposal to try to solve this problem with funding designed to be not just a one-time fix, but a sustainable source of revenue for the long term. Tacoma voters can decide whether this plan goes forward or not by voting for or against Proposition 1 on their November ballot. In a nutshell, if Proposition 1 passes, it would add 2 percent to the taxes paid by each of the three utility companies (natural gas, electric, and phone). Those additional revenues would be dedicated to the maintenance and improvement of our streets and would add nearly $11 million to the $48 million currently earmarked for streets – that’s a 22 percent increase. This proposition would bring the three utility companies’ taxes to 8 percent, which matches what all the other utility companies (waste water, surface water, solid waste, water, rail, and cable TV/Click!) are already paying.

City council members and other officials have begun a series of helpful information sessions in many locations around the city. Check for the one that suits you best.